Blood and Mistletoe Read Online Free PDF

around here forever.  Whoever was killing faeries in our city had to be stopped.
    “Aye, lass,” Hob said. 
    I let out the breath I’d been holding and moved further into the kitchen.
    “So what’s with the get up?” I asked, nodding at Marvin.
    “Play,” Marvin said.
    Were the troll and brownie playing dress up?  That was new.
    “We are putting on a theatrical performance,” Kaye said.  “During the solstice party.”
    “Aye, the Changling Child,” Hob said.  He put a knobby finger to the side of his nose.
    “I don’t think I’ve seen that one,” I said.  “What part are you playing, Marvin?”
    “Wise man,” he said. 
    Now that I thought about it, the cloth covering Marvin’s head and shoulders did resemble a hooded cloak.  The gray stuff Hob had been attaching to Marvin’s face must have been a beard.
    “And you, Hob?” I asked.
    “Ta changling babe!” he said, slapping his knee.  Hob laughed and wiped his eyes with the back of his sleeve.  “Dis wise man bring me gold.”
    I had a sinking feeling about what holiday story they were doing a faerie retelling of.  The image of the shriveled old brownie swaddled in a manger made me cringe.  Changeling tales had always given me the creeps. 
    Faeries rarely have children of their own and have been known to steal human infants.  The human child is whisked away and an elderly faerie left in its place.  The unsuspecting humans will often take care of the invalid fae while their baby is raised by faeries.  Unfortunately, faerie child rearing often includes slave-like servitude.  I hid my shudder with a shrug.
    “Cool, can’t wait to see the show,” I said.  “So, Kaye, I had an interesting visitor today.”
    “Was it that demon?” she asked.
    “Yes,” I said, tilting my head to the side.  “How did you know?”
    “I strengthened my wards,” she said.  Kaye had been upset when Forneus first entered the city without her knowledge.  Apparently, she’d been working to remedy that problem.  “An alarm sounds when a demon enters the city, but he was gone before I had a chance to investigate.”
    “Is that the only demon you’ve sensed entering Harborsmouth recently?” I asked.
    “Yes, no other demon would be so foolish,” she said.
    That confirmed my original suspicion.  Our killer wasn’t a demon.  We were looking for a faerie, an undead, or…a human.
    I filled Kaye, Marvin, and Hob in on the details of the case.  Kaye stomped across the floor, jewelry jingling and skirts rustling as she paced back and forth.  She may be a retired Hunter, but Kaye was a fierce protector of this city.  Knowing that someone had managed to kill five fae under her nose had upset her.
    Marvin chewed his lip and stared at the floor.
    Hearing about faerie murders had to be hard on the kid.  A bridge troll probably doesn’t sound like an easy target for a beating, but Marvin was a teenager and an orphan.  He had been struggling to live alone on the streets when the each uisge came to Harborsmouth.  When the bloodthirsty water fae attacked, the kid never stood a chance.  If the each uisge hadn’t had more interesting prey that night, Marvin would be dead.  His wounds were healing, but the emotional scars were going to take a while longer.
    Good thing I knew a way to cheer the kid up.
    “Hey, Marvin,” I said.  “My bugbear client ate all of the honey candies in my office.  Want to take a trip to the candy store later?”
    Marvin nodded and smiled.
    “How about you take off your costume, dear, while I speak to Ivy in my office,” Kaye said. 
    Kaye bustled out into the hallway and I hurried to catch up.
    “I’ll be back in an hour, Marvin,” I said, following Kaye to the door.  “Hour and a half tops.  I have a few items to stock up on from the shop and then I’ll come meet you here.”  I waved to both Marvin and Hob.  “Safe travels.”
    “Safe travels, lass,” Hob said.
    I entered Kaye’s office to a cloud of